


and the reason comes in the common tongue of you loving me

by overcomewithlongingfora_girl



Series: three's a crowd [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: And Everyone is Okay With That, Bottom Zuko (Avatar), Don't Ask, F/M, First Time, Getting Together, I Wrote A Super Emotional Fic About Suki Dying and Now, JUST, Love, M/M, Multi, Okay I Don't Know What Happened, Safe Sane and Consensual, Suki Is In Charge Around Here, They Are All Three In Love and That's That, Threesome, Threesome - F/M/M, Top Sokka (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:55:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25103524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overcomewithlongingfora_girl/pseuds/overcomewithlongingfora_girl
Summary: “What would you say to adding a third?”Suki’s grin is growing. It’s a sly grin, a sneaky grin, an I-have-a-secret kind of grin. Honestly, Sokka doesn’t care how devious she looks. He trusts her, whatever ridiculous idea she has in her head. Still grinning, she leans forward and whispers the name in his ear, pulling back, still smirking, to watch his reaction.Sokka’s mouth falls open and his eyes go wide. Suddenly, his throat is dry, and he has to swallow before he can speak.“Yeah. Yeah. Hell yeah."
Relationships: Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: three's a crowd [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823287
Comments: 104
Kudos: 1600





	and the reason comes in the common tongue of you loving me

**Author's Note:**

> In this fic, Zuko, Suki, and Sokka are in their mid-twenties! I don't explicitly say that because it doesn't really come up but I want to be clear I am not writing smut about children.

It happens one day after a quick tumble in the sheets. These tumbles have been growing more and more frequent, to Sokka’s undying satisfaction. Since being named the official ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka has been finding more and more reasons to make his way over to Caldera City. Maybe, just _maybe,_ his girlfriend being stationed there has something to do with it, but if Sokka does good work, no one can really complain.

Which is how he ended up with a job that allows him to travel the world, rub elbows with royalty, and whenever he can come up with an excuse, sail over to Suki and make up for lost time. That’s what they’ve just been doing, in Suki’s sparse quarters. Making up for lost time, in the most satisfying way either of them knows. Sokka’s lying there panting, extremely pleased with himself, and he looks across the pillow at Suki, and just then she smiles at him, in that way that melts his heart, and she says, oh so casually, “What would you say to adding a third?”

Blinking, Sokka just looks at her for a second. Tui and La. She’s beautiful. She’s beautiful, and he’s in love with her. She’s beautiful, and interesting, and smart, and laughs at his stupidest jokes, and he’s so in love with her, and she looks at him across the pillow and asks him, as if it’s the kind of thing they talk about every day, if he wants to add a third.

Sokka, he’s happy with what he gets. He’s perfectly happy, _more_ than happy, with the smart, sexy, fit, _flexible_ girl in his bed. But Suki, she’s a little more adventurous, and Sokka will do just about anything to please her. This particular request – well, he doesn’t even feel like he’s pleasing _her_ with this one. There’s this funny tug in his gut. There’s this thing in his throat that makes him swallow. There’s a voice in his head saying _yes, Tui and La, okay, yes._

“Uh, yeah.” Sokka laughs. “I’m very okay with that. What, do you have a crush on one of the Kyoshi warriors?”

They’ve always been open about these things, about the realities of long months apart and trust and what Suki calls _sharing_ and Sokka just calls love. Now, though, Suki has decided to be coy. “Not exactly…”

“Does one of the others have a crush on _me?”_

“Nope.”

Suki’s grin is growing. It’s a sly grin, a sneaky grin, an I-have-a-secret kind of grin. Honestly, Sokka doesn’t care how devious she looks. He trusts her, whatever ridiculous idea she has in her head. Still grinning, she leans forward and whispers the name in his ear, pulling back, still smirking, to watch his reaction.

Sokka’s mouth falls open and his eyes go wide. Suddenly, his throat is dry, and he has to swallow before he can speak. “Uh…are you sure about that?”

“Positive. Are you in?”

She’s hanging on the moment, waiting on his answer, and Sokka knows if he refuses, she’ll never bring it up again. But spirits _above,_ why would he refuse? How could he refuse?

Feeling a little breathless all over again, Sokka nods. “Yeah. Yeah.” Suki’s grin takes over her face. “Hell yeah.”

_

The very next night, because neither of them can stand waiting to see each other for even a second, Sokka and Suki are lying on the bed in her quarters, and Zuko is curled up in a chair in the corner, poring over some field reports. The young Fire Lord had been dragged into some pre-dinner meeting that evening, and because both Suki and Zuko would be there, Sokka insisted on attending as well. For two hours, Sokka and Suki had traded exasperated looks as some minor Fire Nation dignitaries had made a big fuss about the revenue they were losing as the army pulled out of the Earth Kingdom. It was crucial negotiating. It was a tenuous situation. It was unbearably boring. The only thing worth listening to was Zuko flawlessly dodging about a thousand little verbal traps. They try to catch him in sneaky verbal agreements, or tacit permission to violate some treaty. Every time, Zuko politely avoids it. Every time they make some snide comment about Earth Kingdom peasants, he corrects them neatly. He remains poised and courteous long past the time that Sokka would’ve given up on words and tossed the snooty nobles out on their asses.

Eventually, even Zuko informs these dignitaries, in tones that only his closest friends can tell are strained, that talks will have to cease until the next day, at least. Grumbling, the ambassadors pack their things, while Sokka fairly vibrates with impatience. He’s _starving._ Not to mention he can never resist Suki in her full Kyoshi warrior apparel.

After a long meal, during which Sokka makes Suki laugh until water comes out her nose, the couple cajole Zuko back to Suki’s room so they can all hang out together somewhere that irritating advisors won’t think to look. Despite their best effort, and Sokka’s irresistible puppy eyes, Zuko’s in the corner examining reports, making notes in the margin of what he’ll say at more meetings tomorrow. If Sokka didn’t keep glancing over at the hunched figure murmuring about reparations, he wouldn’t know Zuko’s even there.

With such an unassuming presence in the room, it’s easy to murmur something a little dirty in Suki’s ear and kiss her when she fakes a gasp. She responds readily, eagerly, and they’re well on their way to something good when Zuko clears his throat.

Looking up, they find him already on his feet, headed toward the door. The tips of his ears are red, and Sokka smiles fondly at the retreating back of their easily embarrassed friend. “I’m just gonna…go…I’ll see you guys tomorrow-”

Suki shoots a meaningful glance at Sokka, and the Water Tribe warrior nods decisively. He wants this. He wants this so bad. “Zuko, wait.” Suki uses her commander’s voice, and he might be Fire Lord, but when he hears that tone, Zuko stops in his tracks and reluctantly turns around to face her, darting glances between his feet and their faces. Tipping her head, Suki looks the firebender up and down, long and slow, until he’s blushing. “Come here.”

“I, um.” Zuko swallows, glances toward the door. “I feel like you’re, uh, not going to want me here for much longer. For, uh, you know, what you’re gonna…do.”

“Oh? What do you know about what we have planned?”

“Oh…” Zuko waves his hand vaguely. “I just don’t need to be here for all that.”

“Really?” Suki draws the word out, enjoying it. It’s that same voice she used on Sokka. _I have a secret,_ the single word screams. _I know something you don’t know_. At her tone, Zuko’s eyes dart from Sokka to Suki. He looks nervous, uncertain. Sokka just waits, hardly breathing. “Zuko.” Suki’s right next to the Fire Lord, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Did you really think I hadn’t noticed that you have a crush on me?”

Zuko’s eyes go wide. His cheeks flame red. His mouth falls open, and maybe he’s about to say something, but Suki cuts him off.

“Did you think I didn’t notice that you have a crush on my boyfriend?”

Zuko’s wild wide eyes land on Sokka for a split second, and suddenly it’s so much _warmer_ in this room. Sokka wonders if he should speak, or clear his throat, or move, but he’s afraid any movement from him might break the spell Suki is casting on the teenager in front of them. Sokka’s not sure he _could_ move, even if he wanted to. 

“I-I-I-” Zuko is choking on the word. Suki quiets him with a palm flat on his chest.

“It’s okay, Zuko. Do you want to stay?”

Suki has this way of making the most complex things seem so easy. Do you want to stay, Zuko? That’s all it is. Sokka finds himself holding his breath as he waits for an answer.

Those huge golden eyes just stare at her. Zuko looks like a lost puppy. Slowly, ever so cautiously, he nods. He looks painfully unsure of himself, like he’s waiting for one of them to reveal it’s all a joke. Sokka feels a great, thumping tenderness in his chest as Suki takes Zuko’s shoulders gently and steers him toward the bed. His gaze lands on Sokka, and then his eyes dart away, like Sokka will get angry with him for looking too long. “C’mere.” Sokka says it softly, without even really thinking about it, but Zuko starts violently, the blush spreading in his cheeks again.

Suki maneuvers him so he sits down between the two of them. He stares into his lap, not looking at either one. Gently, slowly, choreographing every move so Zuko can shift away if he wants to, Suki reaches over and takes his hand. “Zuko? Can you look at me?”

His head comes up slowly, and while he’s turned away, Sokka admires the muscles in his back, regretting that the reason he can see them through the Fire Lord’s tunic is because the poor guy is tensing every part of his body.

“We like you a lot, Zuko.” Suki says it frankly, honestly, with genuine warmth, and Sokka wishes he could see Zuko’s face. What he can see are the tips of Zuko’s ears going red again. “We’d like if you stayed. It could be fun. We could have fun.” Over Zuko’s shoulder, Sokka can see the mischievous edge creeping into her smile, but then Suki gets serious again. She’s always serious about boundaries, always serious about consent. With the way the Fire Lord hardly seems to be breathing, Sokka knows that’s best. “It’ll only be fun if that’s what you want, okay? If you feel comfortable, and safe, and happy. All of that. If you say no, it won’t change anything. It won’t ruin anything. We want what you want, and nothing less, and nothing more.”

From behind, Sokka can see Zuko nod, just once. Suki shakes her head. “I’m…I’m gonna need more than that, Zuko. I’m gonna need to be sure.”

“Yes.” The Fire Lord’s voice sounds hoarse. “Yes, um, yes, I want that. I’m, um, I’m good with that. This. Please.” The word is little more than a squeak, and Sokka tips his head back, trying to contain the emotion leaping in his chest. “Yes.”

“Yes…?”

“Yes, I want to…” Zuko swallows hard, and if the tips of his ears were any redder, they’d be on fire. “I, um. I want to…be…with you guys.” It’s almost a whisper. “I want to, um, h-hook up with, um, with you.”

“Good,” Suki purrs. “Can we kiss you now? Is that okay?”

Zuko swallows hard, and then nods harder. “Yes. Yes. Um, yeah. Yes.”

Over Zuko’s shoulder, Suki’s eyes find Sokka’s, and the grin the two of them share is nothing short of overjoyed. Zuko looks from one to the other and blushes even brighter. He goes to duck his head but before he can tuck his chin into his chest, Suki’s fingers are there on his jaw, guiding his face towards her. She kisses him, sweetly, coaxing his mouth open with her tongue. When she pulls back, she’s smiling at him. His lips part like he’s going to speak but they move soundlessly. He stares into Suki’s face like a man dreaming.

Suki lets go of his chin and he turns to Sokka, stunned as a newborn, and visibly swallows when he sees that Sokka’s taken off his shirt. His eyes trail down Sokka’s chest and back up to his face, where he blushes even brighter when he sees the warrior’s crooked grin. Sokka’s kiss is sure and eager. One hand comes up to cup the back of Zuko’s head, the other cradles his jaw. _Yes._ There’s a roaring fire in Sokka’s belly, heat pooling in all the right places. _Yes._

“Can I take your robes off?” Suki asks softly.

Sokka pulls back to let the Fire Lord answer, and Zuko nods dazedly before remembering that by Suki’s rules, that’s not enough. “Y-yeah,” he manages. It’s almost a whisper. “Yeah.” He reaches up to fumble with the shoulders of his tunic. Suki’s thinking more clearly – she’s always thinking more clearly – and she unties the belt around his waist, then holds the collar of his robe while Zuko twists out of it. The silk falls away from his shoulders, his chest, revealing smooth pale skin. The lightning scar in the center of him radiates outward like a sun, and Sokka catches himself tracing his fingers over the red, spreading mark. Zuko shivers under the touch.

“You’re so fucking pretty,” he murmurs, and the high pink blush in Zuko’s cheeks is prettier still. “Isn’t he pretty, Suki?”

“He’s gorgeous,” Suki agrees, and Zuko lets out this high, panting whine. Everything in Sokka wants to lunge forward and seal the Fire Lord’s mouth with a kiss, but this has got to be soft, slow, careful. Suki’s drilled it into him a half a hundred times. If they’re going to do this, then they’re going to do it right. If they do it right, it will be the first time not the last time. If they do it right, there will be more time.

“Can you lay down for me, Zuko?” Suki purrs it, reaching up to brush Zuko’s hair back from his face. This time a nod is enough, because Zuko leans back and lets Suki guide him down until he’s flat on his back, staring up at her face. Sokka knows that view well. It’s a good one. “You’re such a good boy for us, Zuko.” The Fire Lord shuts his eyes, and there’s that whine again. Sokka likes that sound. He wants to drag it out of Zuko again and again, until the Fire Lord knows that arousal isn’t something he has to hide and choke in the back of his throat.

That will come with time. It will come with time. For now, Sokka just keeps tracing feather-light fingers over Zuko’s chest.

“I’m going to kiss you now, Zuko, if that’s okay,” Suki tells him softly, and Sokka watches Zuko nod, and bite his lip. “Is it okay if Sokka sucks your cock?”

The full-body shudder that runs through Zuko makes Sokka’s blood sing. “Y-yeah,” Zuko rasps out, eyes fixed on the ceiling. “Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah.”

Not wasting a moment, Sokka gets to work kissing every inch of Zuko’s chest, every place that his fingers have been. Above him, Suki’s mouth muffles Zuko’s moans, and Sokka takes his time moving down, down Zuko’s slender stomach, over the hard muscles there. He stops at the belt line, tugs a little and then looks up for confirmation because he wants to be sure.

Before he even asks, Zuko’s breaking away from Suki’s lips to answer. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” His voice is deeper, rougher, more desperate than before. Biting back a smile, Sokka works Zuko’s pants down over his hips, stopping to kiss his waist, his thigh, the place his pelvis meets his leg. Zuko’s cock is hard and red and weeping, but Sokka takes his time mouthing at Zuko’s balls, his inner thighs, until the Fire Lord’s legs are shaking.

Then, using a neat trick that Suki taught him, he takes Zuko’s length in one clean go.

Zuko _yells_ into Suki’s mouth, a ragged, frantic sound, and both Sokka and Suki pull back because they have to be sure. “Is that okay?” she asks, and Zuko’s head is thrown back, his hands are fisted in the sheets, there’s a fine sheen of sweat all over his body. He nods jerkily, eyes squeezed shut against the onslaught of sensation. “Out loud, please.” Suki is gentle but firm, relentless, stroking a hand over Zuko’s tense stomach.

“ _Y-es,”_ Zuko grinds out, panting as he says it, and once he speaks, the dam is broken. “Yes, please, fuck, _please,_ yes-”

Grinning, Suki dives back down and kisses him, and Zuko clings for dear life to the bed. Sokka, for his part, uses his hands to pin Zuko’s hips to the mattress and sucks the firebender’s dick like his life depends on it, using tongue and throat and hands in ways that he knows from experience are dizzying, almost unbearable. Above him, he imagines Zuko and Suki kissing, her hair falling over the Fire Lord’s face, her hands moving over his body. The delicious little sounds that Zuko keeps making, how flushed and desperate and pretty the Fire Lord must look right now – Sokka shifts in his pants, so impatient he could scream.

Suki’s already taking care of business, one hand delving between her legs as the other tangles in Zuko’s hair. “Wanna help me out?” she murmurs in Zuko’s ear, and he nods. “Want to finger me, Zuko?” He tries another nod, and she nips his ear gently, teasingly, in reproach.

“Yes. Yes, uh-huh, I do.”

Sokka watches through half-lidded eyes as Zuko’s hand fumbles downward, finds Suki’s, and stays there, moving rhythmically. For the first time, Suki’s breathing gets really rough, a little uneven, a little gasping. Sokka can tell when Suki pulls back from their messy kissing, because both their breathing gets that much louder. With difficulty, Suki leans in and murmurs into Zuko’s ear once more. “Can Sokka finger you, honey? Would that be okay?”

Zuko _whimpers,_ and all the blood in Sokka’s body goes rushing to his cock. He seriously thinks he might pass out, and he can’t even see the dizzy, desperate, absolutely _wrecked_ look on Zuko’s face, but he hears it in the firebender’s voice as he chokes it out. “Yes, Agni, _please,_ I-I-”

“Good,” Suki praises, “good boy,” and Zuko groans, twitching under Sokka’s hands.

“Keep up with that and I think he could come just like this,” Sokka murmurs, and his voice is raspy, rough.

“We don’t want that, do we?” Suki strokes Zuko’s hair, and they both watch him push his head into her hand. “We’re gonna make you wait a little while longer, aren’t we?”

“Okay. Okay.” Zuko bobs his head fervently, impatiently. “Okay, just, just touch me please.”

“Well, when you ask so nicely…”

Sokka draws the little jar of oil from his pocket and slicks his fingers well. He starts with sucking Zuko’s cock, listening to the little sounds the pair above him are making. Then, gentle as anything, he works one finger in, careful not to lose his rhythm. He feels Zuko’s breathing almost stop, sees his fingers in Suki grow steady and less sure. The sensation must be overwhelming. Sokka allows himself a growing smile when he works another finger in, and then another, each time making sure that Zuko’s ready, that the stretch won’t hurt but rather will have that delicious, perfect burn as he opens up, takes Sokka, takes his fingers so good. Sokka might be speaking or he might not be. He’s honestly not sure right now. Zuko and Suki aren’t kissing anymore because Zuko’s mouth is wide open just gasping for air, making these little mewling noises, like crying, like begging.

When Sokka has three fingers moving steadily in Zuko, he pulls his mouth off the firebender’s cock for good, with a wet pop. Sokka sits up to watch as Suki frames Zuko’s face in both her hands, face deadly serious.

“Zuko. Zuko, I need you to listen to me. Can Sokka fuck you? Is that okay?”

“Y-y-yeah.” The words stumble out of Zuko’s mouth. “Yes, p-please, please, Sokka please, w-want you-”

 _Fuck,_ is it hard to take this slow when Zuko sounds like that, when he’s begging like that. Slowly, deliberately, Sokka wraps a hand around his cock and squeezes, forcing patience, forcing himself to make it last.

Zuko’s eyes are shut again, but Suki’s still staring into his face, thumbs still smoothing over his skin. “Zuko, I need you to look at me.” Reluctantly, the firebender’s eyes crack open. “Can I…” Suki catches her breath, swallows, and seeing her affected like this is _divine._ “Can I fuck you, too? Can you fuck me while Sokka’s in you?”

Breathing picking up, Zuko stares at her, wide-eyed. Unsure, Suki offers him a way out. “You don’t have to-”

“P- _please,”_ Zuko breathes, looking wild and dying and worshipful. “Want you _so bad_ want you both so _fucking_ bad-”

“Suki!” Sokka’s voice is strained, jagged, rough. His fingers are fumbling with his belt. “I can’t wait anymore.”

From the look on Suki’s face, she can’t wait anymore either, and Zuko just tips his head back and moans for it. Reaching down, Suki takes Zuko in her hand and guides him into her. Breathless, Sokka watches Zuko’s eyes flutter shut as he tries to breath. Suki rocks against him and Zuko groans, a long, low, yearning sound.

Unable to wait, Sokka slides in behind Zuko, pressing kisses to the firebender’s neck, his shoulders. His fingers are still inside Zuko, and the Fire Lord is pressing back, back against him, but Sokka asks one more time.

“You sure?” his voice comes out husky, strained. “Zuko, can I, can I-”

“Fucking _fuck_ me already.”

That’s all Sokka needs. He slides in slowly, with excruciating care, gasping at the tightness, the mind-numbing _heat._ He needs something to distract him, something to do with his _hands,_ so he kisses his way up Zuko’s neck, along the line of his shoulders, and the Fire Lord shivers deliciously under his touch. The desperate, choked off sounds coming from Zuko are exquisite, and Suki whines like she’s going to die if someone doesn’t move soon as Sokka bottoms out. The feeling is unbelievably – the tight hot clenching – Sokka can hardly breathe – but Zuko’s gasping and Suki is begging him in a high, thready voice to _move._

So Sokka does. He sets a slow, careful rhythm, and Suki grinds against Zuko in time, and the firebender between them sounds like he’s _choking,_ wailing, almost crying. Every other word is _yes_ and _more_ and _please._ Sokka’s well on his way to joining Zuko because _fuck_ the firebender is hot and tight and Sokka is looking straight into Suki’s blissed out face, hearing the _sounds_ coming out of Zuko, Sokka’s not sure he’s even _breathing –_

“You’re…not gonna…last…a-are you, baby?” Suki pants it out, still grinding against Zuko, and the firebender _keens_ as she runs a trembling hand through his hair, pulling just enough to make him gasp, leaning in to put her mouth on his throat, the other hand slipping down between her legs, working feverishly there so she can finish with Zuko.

Suki goes first, thanks to her own skilled fingers – she’s letting out that gasp Sokka knows so well, her head tipping back, her eyes falling shut, grinding hard against Zuko for just a few moments of almost-unbearable overstimulation. That sends the firebender over the edge – he cries out, and clings to her, and when he tightens around Sokka, it takes the warrior’s breath away. He wants to fuck Zuko through his orgasm, through both their orgasms, but he can’t _move_ for the force of the climax that hits him like a fucking train. Suki’s still panting hard and Zuko’s shuddering, clenching around Sokka, and Sokka just holds Zuko’s hips and tries to keep breathing. All three of them, in rapid succession, falling over the cliff, shaking, gasping, clutching each other as if for dear life. 

It’s unbelievable. It’s everything Sokka half-dreamed about. It’s, it’s, it’s like nothing he’s _ever_ felt before.

_

Suki is the first to move. She looks dazed as she stands on legs as shaky as a fawn’s and stumbles to the bathroom. Sokka’s still panting, but he finds the strength to wrap his arms all the way around Zuko, who’s just. Trembling.

“Hey.” Sokka’s voice comes out husky, low, and he clears his throat carefully before trying again. “Hey, honey, you okay?”

Zuko _shivers_ at the name, and Sokka feels embarrassed for a second, because this is Zuko, Zuko and not Suki, and the endearment just came so naturally – but. No. He nuzzles his nose in under Zuko’s ear and the firebender presses back against him almost frantically. No, Sokka likes calling him _honey._ Sokka’s already thinking of a few other names to call him, the sweet hot little Fire Lord wrapped so tight in his arms. There’s still no response, though, so Sokka puts some urgency into his voice. “Really, Zuko. You okay?”

The firebender nods, but he’s shaking so much his teeth are almost chattering, and he can’t seem to speak. First things first. Sokka draws out of him carefully, carefully, and still both of them wince a little at the release. Then he gathers the firebender back into his arms, turning him carefully so he can see Zuko’s face. It’s only fair. Suki got his face for so _long_ , and his face is so fucking pretty _._

“That was a lot,” Sokka tells the firebender softly, hands smoothing nonsense patterns on the skin of the Fire Lord’s back. “That was really intense. Just breathe for me, okay?”

“’M…fine.” Zuko forces it out between gritted teeth, and Sokka shakes his head patiently.

“You’re gonna be fine, yes. Right now you just need a minute. I’m right here. Just breathe for me, and try to relax a little, okay? I’ve got you.”

At first Zuko makes a noise like he wants to argue, and then seems to notice that his entire body is tense against Sokka. The disagreeable noises stop, and Zuko just lies there, stiff, and then slowly, his panting breaths deepen into real ones, and his body starts to relax. He melts slowly and then all at once, his body sinking against Sokka so boneless and comfortable and right that Sokka’s breath catches in his throat.

“Hey, Zuko, hey, sweetie, I’m back.” Suki touches Zuko’s shoulder carefully, letting him know she’s sliding in behind him. The firebender nods, and considering his still-shaky breathing, Suki lets him go nonverbal this one time. It doesn’t last long. “You okay if I clean you up a little? Got a towel here. You’n Sokka are messy.”

Another shaky nod, but Suki waits for the raspy, “Yes,” before she moves her damp towel down between Zuko’s legs, which makes the Fire Lord blush to the roots of his hair. The pink in his forehead makes Sokka want to kiss him, so he does, sweetly, gently on the forehead. It doesn’t help the blushing situation.

When Suki’s done cleaning them up she tosses the towel carelessly into a corner. “We’ll worry about that tomorrow,” she tells the boys cheerfully. “Zuko? Can I-?” she moves her hand hesitantly around his middle, and the Fire Lord nods decisively against Sokka’s chest. She moves slowly, giving him the chance to pull away, but he doesn’t, so Suki loops her arms around his waist and holds him from behind, while Sokka runs a hand through his hair and resists the urge to praise him to the skies.

Suki said not to. Suki said they don’t want to overwhelm him; it’ll be a lot to process as is. He just looks so _pretty,_ so perfect, so good, so happy and contented and sleepy-shy like this, sandwiched between the two of them, right exactly where he belongs. It makes Sokka’s chest ache, just a little, how violently, perfectly _happy_ he is. All the people he loves-loves- _loves_ are right here in this bed, and Sokka is so happy he could cry or shout or sing their praises – if he wasn’t so damn _sleepy_ all of a sudden. If he wasn’t trying to keep Zuko from getting completely overwrought.

For now, Sokka stays quiet, meeting Suki’s eyes as Zuko’s start to flutter shut. Poor baby’s exhausted. Sokka is too, for that matter, but he can’t resist sharing a look with Suki, or the slow, delighted smile that spreads over his face. Suki said if her instincts about Zuko were right, if they did this right, there’d be time for all that – the pet names and the praise and whatever else lovesick Sokka was gonna dream up. If they did this right, it would be the first time, but not the last time.

Sokka knows it in his _gut_ that this isn’t the last time. Few things in his life have ever felt more right. Few things in his life have ever felt like more of a beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> So...I wrote a super emotional sad fic about Suki dying and Sokka and Zuko getting together (it's titled "we can't live forever so we should stick together", if you're curious)...and then I wanted to write something about the three of them being happy together and I mean guys they sure are happy together. 
> 
> Pls let me know what you think in the comments! Or potentially on tumblr at overcomewithlongingfora-girl but that's been working not so good for people so who's to say.


End file.
